I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a coffin delivery system for a metallurgical furnace.
II. Description of the Prior Art
Metallurgical furnaces of the type for sintering and other heat treatment of powdered metals, ceramics and the like, such as carbide, typically comprise an elongated furnace chamber surrounded by a pressure vessel. A door or hatch provides access to at least one and often time both ends of the furnace chamber and through which the parts to be processed are positioned into the furnace chamber.
Typically, the parts are loaded onto a flat plate or into a box type carrier, conventionally called the coffin, which is positioned within the furnace chamber. For large metallurgical furnaces, the coffin together with the parts often times weighs in excess of one thousand pounds.
In order to load the coffin into these previously known furnaces, it has been the previous practice to utilize a highlo truck to both lift the coffin and place the coffin within the furnace chamber. A primary disadvantage of this previously known practice is that a relatively large amount of clearance must be provided along both the sides and top of the furnace chamber. This clearance is required to provide sufficient handling room for the highlo truck as well as a vertical clearance to both lift and lower the coffin within the furnace chamber. Unless sufficient clearance is provided, the furnace would be damaged by the truck and/or coffin.
A primary disadvantage of the necessity of providing both vertical and horizontal clearance space within the furnace chamber is that it increases the overall volume of the chamber with unnecessary and unused space. The increased volume of the furnace chamber in turn increases the power of consumption for the furnace by the cube of the increased volume.